ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. land — a country
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chest — a box
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — bread
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com